Terror on Holy Ground: Manchester Synagogue Killer Swore Fealty to ISIS Amid Yom Kippur Carnage

By: Fern Sidman

In a harrowing episode that has shaken Britain’s Jewish community and reignited concerns about domestic extremism, CNN reported on Wednesday that the man who carried out last week’s deadly attack outside a synagogue in Manchester had pledged allegiance to ISIS during the assault. Authorities have identified the assailant as Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, who was shot dead by firearms officers after killing two worshippers on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur.

The incident unfolded outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in northern Manchester, where dozens of congregants had gathered for the solemn day of atonement. What began as a peaceful religious observance turned into a scene of terror, confusion, and heartbreak—one that the CNN described as “a grim echo of the growing pattern of lone-actor violence driven by extremist ideologies across Europe.”

According to Counter Terrorism Policing North West, the attack began shortly after 11 a.m. local time last Thursday, when Al-Shamie approached the synagogue’s main entrance armed with a handgun. In a chilling twist, he reportedly phoned police moments before the assault, “claiming to pledge allegiance to the so-called Islamic State,” as officials confirmed to CNN.

Police officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were dispatched within minutes. Witnesses told CNN that the synagogue’s security volunteers acted swiftly, ushering families and elderly worshippers into a locked hall while several men attempted to block the doors. Amid the chaos, Al-Shamie fired multiple shots, killing Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both residents of the nearby suburb of Crumpsall.

One of the victims, investigators later revealed, may have been inadvertently struck by police gunfire. GMP’s Chief Constable Stephen Watson told CNN that “the only shots fired were from GMP’s Authorized Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community.”

Watson continued, “It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end.”

For Britain’s Jewish community, the timing could hardly have been more devastating. The CNN report noted that Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—is the most sacred and introspective day in Judaism, a 25-hour period of fasting, prayer, and repentance observed in synagogues around the world. In Heaton Park, where the congregation had gathered for generations, the sanctity of the moment was shattered by violence that police say was likely inspired by “extreme Islamist ideology.”

“It is impossible to describe the trauma this community has suffered,” one Manchester rabbi told CNN, his voice breaking. “Yom Kippur is the day we ask God for forgiveness and mercy—and we found ourselves pleading for survival.”

The victims, both long-time members of the community, are being remembered as pillars of faith and service. CNN reported that Daulby was a local shop owner known for his quiet generosity, while Cravitz, a retired accountant, often volunteered to read Torah during services. Both were fathers, husbands, and deeply involved in synagogue life.

Counterterrorism officers have described Al-Shamie as a “self-radicalized extremist” who may have been influenced by jihadist propaganda circulating online. Sources told CNN that he had a troubled personal history and was known to law enforcement. Only weeks before the attack, Al-Shamie had been arrested on suspicion of rape but released on bail “pending further enquiries.” It remains unclear whether that case played any role in his radicalization or mental state.

Investigators are now scouring Al-Shamie’s digital footprint, including encrypted messaging apps and social media activity, to determine whether he acted alone or had any contact with overseas terrorist networks. Early indications, CNN reported, suggest that the suspect operated independently—a “lone wolf” in the parlance of security experts—but drew ideological inspiration from the remnants of ISIS propaganda still circulating across the dark web and fringe platforms.

In a statement cited in the CNN report, Counter Terrorism Policing North West said that “the suspect’s actions appear to have been motivated by an adherence to violent Islamist ideology. We are exploring whether he had been in contact with extremist groups or individuals.”

While the immediate police response prevented a potentially larger massacre, the possibility that one victim was inadvertently killed by law enforcement fire has added an agonizing layer to the tragedy. CNN reported that forensic investigators have launched a comprehensive ballistic analysis to confirm whether one of the fatal wounds was caused by a police bullet.

Chief Constable Watson emphasized transparency, pledging full cooperation with an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) inquiry. “We must confront the tragic reality that in moments of extreme danger, when split-second decisions are made, the outcomes can be heartbreaking,” he told CNN. “But I stand firmly behind the professionalism and bravery of my officers, whose intervention prevented a far greater loss of life.”

Community leaders have responded with empathy rather than blame. The Board of Deputies of British Jews released a statement, quoted in the CNN report, acknowledging “the excruciating moral weight borne by the officers who acted to defend our community.” It continued, “We grieve for all who were lost, and we understand that those who acted in defense of our people did so with courage, not malice.”

The attack comes amid what the CNN report described as a “worrying resurgence of antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom.” Britain’s Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors hate crimes against Jews, has recorded record-high numbers of threats and assaults since the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war in 2023. Jewish schools, synagogues, and businesses have faced harassment and vandalism, prompting heightened security measures.

In Manchester, home to one of the country’s largest Jewish populations, the atmosphere remains tense. CNN reporters on the scene described residents lighting candles outside the synagogue and leaving handwritten notes reading “Am Yisrael Chai”—“The people of Israel live.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack as “an assault on decency and faith itself,” promising full support to the Jewish community. “On Yom Kippur, a day of reflection and atonement, hate showed its face,” he said in remarks covered by CNN. “Britain stands with its Jewish citizens and with all those who choose peace over extremism.”

Security analysts told CNN that the attack bears similarities to other lone-actor assaults inspired by ISIS and its affiliates across Europe. From the 2015 Paris attacks to more recent stabbings and shootings in Vienna, Copenhagen, and London, the playbook remains chillingly familiar: radicalized individuals acting without direct command but driven by ideological allegiance.

“ISIS as an organization is fragmented, but as a narrative it endures,” terrorism expert Raffaello Pantucci told CNN. “The power of that narrative is its ability to convert personal grievance into pseudo-religious justification. For individuals like Al-Shamie, the ideology offers both a script and an excuse.”

The Manchester tragedy also called attention to what CNN called the “persistent vulnerability of soft targets”—religious institutions, schools, and community centers that symbolize identity and belonging. Despite robust policing and intelligence sharing, preventing such attacks remains extraordinarily difficult.

In the days since the attack, Manchester’s Jewish community has rallied in unity. At a vigil attended by hundreds, rabbis recited psalms alongside imams and Christian clergy, a gesture that CNN described as “a poignant assertion of solidarity in the face of terror.”

The Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, though scarred, has reopened its doors for prayer. “We will not allow hatred to desecrate holiness,” Rabbi Eliyahu Weiss told CNN. “Our faith commands resilience, not retreat.”

Security has been visibly increased across the city, with armed patrols stationed near synagogues and community centers. Authorities have urged vigilance but cautioned against panic.

For many, however, the questions linger: how a British-born man turned to the ideology of ISIS, how such violence could strike in a city renowned for tolerance, and what can be done to prevent its recurrence. As the CNN report noted, these are the enduring dilemmas of an era when ideology crosses borders faster than law enforcement can adapt.

The deaths of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz are now etched into Manchester’s collective memory—ordinary men caught in the extraordinary horror of fanaticism. As their families grieve, the nation is left to reckon with what the CNN report called “a collision of faith, fear, and fatal timing.”

The investigation continues, the questions multiply, and the community mourns. Yet in the flickering candlelight outside Heaton Park Synagogue, one message endures—written on hundreds of notes taped to the gate: “We forgive, but we will never forget.”